The Road Home: Book 1: Discovery
by StormRunnerQuest
Summary: Storm Runner is a pegasus with a secret - but she doesn't know it. Living in hiding for reasons soon discovered, she discovers the existence of The Road - an ancient travelway and vast source of concious magic. Can she figure out her connection to the Road, and more importantly - who she really is as questions as to her true identity arise? Rated M for violence in later chapters
1. Prologue

Prologue;

* * *

Despite the sunny day, the cheery, carefree atmosphere in the Stormhold Citadel, all was not well. King Stormblade contemplated the situation, pacing back and forth in the throne room, his black tail lightly brushing the red carpet. His brow furrowed with concern for his best spy and friend, the King was totally oblivious to the opening of the throne room door and the entering of his beloved and pregnant Queen and most trusted advisor. He was stirred from his thoughts at the gentle touch of a lilac hoof upon his dark grey shoulder, and looked up to see not only his Queen, but also his baby daughter. Riversong gave her husband a comforting smile.  
"He'll be fine, Sparrowhawk has a penchant for trouble and getting out of it. He'll be home soon." Stormblade held out his arms to take the baby from his wife so she could sit and take her baby weight off her hooves, as Swiftwind, his advisor, spoke.  
"The Queen is right, sire. My brother will be fine, of that I have no doubt. He would sooner cut off his wings than supply you with old information. In the meantime we should not openly fret while there are children in the room."

"Always the voice of logic, Swiftwind. Whatever would I do without you two?" Swiftwind nodded his head in acknowledgement even as he turned to lift the sleepy foal from his back. "I see that Thunder is still refusing naptime." Stormblade smirked at his longtime friend, even as the little princess in his arms stirred at the name of her favourite playmate. The little tan and white tiger striped pegasus squirmed until her father obliged and set her upon the soft carpet, where she wasted no time in pouncing on the colt. Swiftwind watched the two foals play fondly, Thunder having become wide awake as soon as he'd seen Storm Runner, and the wise unicorn spoke.  
"I'm still surprised that the magic worked so well, all things considered." Stormblade chuckled as his wife's soft voice became heard next.

"I'm just relieved that she'll be protected, how long will the spell hold Swiftwind?" The stallion thought for a moment before replying.  
"Unfortunately I'm not sure, her own magic may end up breaking the spell next week, maybe in a few years, a decade, or we could be lucky and it'll last her whole life." Indeed they were very lucky that the spell had stuck so well – their little foal was now protected by her appearance in more ways than one, and while there were no tan and brown colours in her mother and father, little Storm Runner shared her wings and yellow streak in her mane with her father – though she also had a streak in her tail. She was tan in colour with a white muzzle, white outer wing feathers, white rear stockings and tiger stripe markings, where her father was dark grey and her mother was white with faded lilac legs and neither had any markings. Their hair colours, also, were completely different – while Stormblade's hair was black instead of his daughter's brown, they shared the yellow. Riversong on the other hand had long silky locks of a solid bright purple. Stormblade then looked at Swiftwind so the unicorn male chuckled.

"You don't have to point out the differences between my brothers and I, my old friend." The three brothers too, shared some traits and not others. They had identical paint markings, though Thunder was grey and not tan like his two older brothers. Each had different shoulder markings and black in their hair, though that was an interesting comparison also. Swiftwind and Sparrowhawk were nearly identical, were it not for the fact that Sparrowhawk was a pegasus, Swiftwind a unicorn, their symbols – and the fact that their hair colours were switched. Thunder on the other hand, only shared his wings – and the fact that his outer wing feathers were darker than his body colour, and paint markings with his brethren.

The King smiled as, having sat upon his throne, he felt a nudge on his leg. Looking down, the stallion saw both Storm Runner and Thunder sat at his feet, looking up at him with pleading expressions. Knowing exactly what they wanted, and what the two unicorns in the room would say, Stormbolt allowed the little ones their fun. He had considerable power with creating storms, whether massive and terrifying or small and with the purpose of amusement. It was a small storm now that he conjured up in front of the two little foals, and smiled at their happy giggles and attempts to catch the raindrops which evaporated before hitting the carpet. Riversong looked at him fondly.  
"Don't get them too excited, or they'll never accept naptime."

It was then that the fun ended.

The door to the throne room opened again, and in stumbled the very stallion who had been the main subject of the conversation, supported by two guards. Riversong immediately rose and picked up the foals, making sure they averted their eyes. As happy as the little ones would be that their favourite mentor had returned, it would not do for two ponies so young to see another in that condition. She swiftly left the room and deposited the two into the arms of a maid, with a request that they be taken for naptime in the nursery. They could see Sparrowhawk later. The unicorn queen returned to the throne room and followed her husband over to Sparrowhawk where he stood, now unsupported though a little unsteady. The pegasus had, for the first time since the King had seen his spy, a wild look in his eye and a slight tremor in his voice as he spoke – but his concern was for the family he served, not himself. "Sire, you have to get out. There is no time, they're coming."

"What happened to you?" Riversong touched her horn to the injured stallion's forehead, managing to pass along a little energy to heal him. She could not heal him fully, as she had not the power, but she could help.

"Many thanks, but you have to go, you've been betrayed by Quicksilver, he broke my cover 10 days ago and they tortured me but I didn't give in. I only just got away, but Starrise is coming. You have to leave, there is no time." He repeated the last part, the last two words. Stormbolt growled at the names given. Sparrowhawk had gone deep cover three months ago, posing as a simple guard. If Quicksilver – the Captain of the Guard at Stormhold, had betrayed them, then there was a real problem. Quicksilver knew just about everything there was to know about Stormblade's policies. Riversong looked fearfully at her husband as noises of clashing weapons and warning shouts became heard from the courtyard. Stormbolt made a decision.

"Swiftwind, go and get Storm Runner and Thunder. Sparrowhawk you go to. I entrust you both with my daughter's life, take the secret passage out through the dungeons, and go quickly. It's safer if we split up, so we'll meet you in the agreed place at midnight." The brothers nodded and moved to find the foals, leaving the royal couple to make their separate escape.

The foals, as predicted, were not asleep as they should have been. The alien sounds of battle rising up from the courtyard and through the open window had frightened them far too much to allow sleep to come. So it was that the two brothers entered the nursery to find two very wide awake, very frightened little ponies. Sparrowhawk went to Thunder and lifted him onto his back even as Swiftwind went to the young princess, and just the mere touch of the trusted older ponies helped to calm the younger ones. The brothers stole out of the room quietly, the little ponies secure on their backs, and took the servants route down to the kitchens, where they were required to hide until Quicksilver went racing past. The next part would not be so easy, they had to run past the throne room to get to the door to the dungeons, never used so hoofprints would show up in the dust there. Caution would have to be taken, especially with the little ones. They waited until the coast was as clear as it was going to get, before the painted brothers took the risk and raced across the hallway, hearing the dreaded sound of Starrise's voice in the throne room, talking to Stormblade. Apparently the King and Queen would not be getting out, they had been caught in their race to get away, though how – the brothers would never know. Sparrowhawk winced as the voice he had come to fear once again rose to his ears, but he didn't falter. Swiftwind's horn lit for a brief moment as the two raced through the door, which promptly slammed shut behind them and clicked with a lock. Their bodies racing with adrenaline, their only concern to get the princess out alive and fulfil their duty of keeping her safe, Swiftwind led the way down through the dungeons, stepping carefully, his brother stepping exactly where he did. For a moment the scholar feared that Storm Runner might slip off his back, she was so curious as to these new surroundings, and he moved swiftly through the dungeons concentrating on where he was going and the centre of weight on his back, not that the small pony weighed much. Thunder at least would be safe, nestled in between Sparrowhawk's wings, but Swiftwind did not have that advantage.

The small group reached the end of the stone floor, but not the end of the line. Swiftwind touched a hoof to a specific brick on the wall, and as the gears of the mechanism began to grind he felt the princess shift and hide her head in his white mane, the one streak of black covering her ears. It took a painful few minutes to wait for the door, precious moments which increased their chance of being discovered. Distinctly through the ceiling they could hear the thunderous, angry voice of Starrise, berating his followers and commanding them to search harder to find the princess. The moment the door was open and the section of the wall was empty, Swiftwind picked up the pace and the two brothers raced through, wasting no time. The door began its grinding noise once more and began to close as they raced down the tunnel to freedom.


	2. Chapter 1

Book One, Chapter One:

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_15 Years Later_

* * *

"Midgets! Time to get up!" The cheery voice of Sparrowhawk echoed up the stairs, a teasing undertone. When the Pegasus got no reply, he headed up the stairs and took the left turn, opening a door. Inside was his little brother Thunder, glaring at him from the warm confines of his bed. "Come on squirt, Swiftwind is making breakfast."

"Well as long as it's him who makes the food, I'll come. Not going to eat anything made by you ever again." Thunder got out of bed, yawning. Sparrowhawk faked a hurt look.

"Oh come on, it wasn't THAT bad."

"You kidding? I think I had food poisoning for like a week! You're as bad a cook as Storm Runner." Thunder retorted as he ran a comb through his scruffy mane sleepily. His brother snorted, hiding laughter.

"Oh no, little brother, I think you'll find that you're mistaken there, she's worse than me. I'll meet you downstairs." With that said, the elder brother walked out of the room and headed down the hall, knocking on a door two doors down from Thunder's room. When he got no answer, the Pegasus pushed the door open and peeked in. The moment he saw his young charge with her head buried under her pillow, he knew something was wrong. She never did that. Storm Runner was an active sleeper, yes. She'd kick the blankets off, she'd fall off the bed, she'd even sleepwalked a few times, but she'd never hidden her head under her pillow. Sparrowhawk could see that she was definitely awake as well, her wings were twitching under the blanket.

"Storm, what's wrong?" Crossing the room, Sparrowhawk sat on the side of the bed and lifted the pillow a little, gaining a groan and a wince from the little pony.

"Head hurts. Real bad." Came the reply. Sparrowhawk bent down to have a look.

"Whereabouts?" Storm Runner pointed at her forehead, directly in the middle. "I'll go get Swiftwind, yes?" Sparrowhawk was concerned, but only Swiftwind could ease the young one's pain. She'd been having these headaches on and off since she was 13, and since she was now 16 Sparrowhawk had suggested taking her to a doctors. His older brother had said no, apparently he knew what was wrong but he wouldn't say. Sparrowhawk left the bed and headed out of the room quickly, running down the stairs. On walking into the kitchen his brother look up. The unicorn quickly noticed that Storm Runner wasn't behind Sparrowhawk, as usual. "Where's Storm?" He questioned, flipping the eggs.

"One of her headaches again. Can you go see her?" Sparrowhawk sat at the table. "Same place as normal, middle of her forehead." He'd have to ask Swiftwind about it sometime, when the two younger ponies weren't in the house. Swiftwind left the room and headed upstairs to see Storm Runner. When he got to her room and walked through the still open door, Swiftwind's gaze settled on the young pegasus mare, still half-hidden under her blankets and her pillow. She peeked out from under the pillow when she heard the hoofbeats, and on seeing the unicorn male, Storm Runner came out of hiding without needing to be asked. They both knew the drill now. Swiftwind gave the young one an encouraging smile before lighting his horn and touching the middle of her forehead lightly. Storm Runner winced slightly at the contact before whatever magic Swiftwind was using dulled the pain and healed her headache. "Better now?" As the adult took his dimming horn away from her head, Storm rubbed the offending area with a hoof. "Yes, thanks Swiftwind. It was worse than normal though." She spoke out, her voice lined with worry, looking up at her guardian with concerned brown eyes. "Is something wrong with me?" At this question, Swiftwind sat beside her on the bed and took her into his arms for a hug.

"Storm Runner. There is nothing wrong with you, honestly." Storm Runner responded by hugging her guardian tighter, as if she didn't believe him. Swiftwind comforted the young one, knowing exactly what was causing the headaches yet unable to tell her for fear of endangering her. "Alright you, quick march downstairs. Or there'll be no pancakes left, the rate that my brothers eat." Happily, the response from the pony in his arms was a giggle.

"They best have left us some or there'll be trouble." Her previous pain forgotten, Storm Runner emerged from Swiftwind's embrace, still giggling happily. Swiftwind smiled, pleased to see his young charge happy again.

"Or what, you'll bite Sparrowhawk's wing, like you did when you were a baby?" It was the unicorn's turn to laugh as Storm Runner faked an outraged expression. He got up, making her move as he shifted, and led the way out the door with the young pegasus just behind him.

As they entered the kitchen, Sparrowhawk looked up. "How's the head kid?" Storm Runner just smiled at him. "All better now, thanks to Swiftwind." She tapped her head with her hoof as if to demonstrate that her forehead wouldn't cave in with pain. She sat down at the table, next to Thunder – hurriedly shovelling pancakes and maple syrup into his mouth as if they'd disappear in the next 2 minutes. Storm Runner laughed; "Slow down there Thunder, leave some for me!" Said pancake-eating pony grinned and paused before the next mouthful. "Make me."

It was at this point that Swiftwind interrupted the fun – noticing the devious smirk on Sparrowhawk's face, he knew a maple syrup fight was about to happen. Smirking himself, he whisked the syrup bottle away from the table and put it in the cupboard. "Nah-uh – you remember what happened last time you guys had a maple syrup fight." Three groans echoed from the three others in the room. Swiftwind chuckled. "I swear I am the only adult in a house full of foals."

It wasn't long until Storm Runner and Thunder had finished eating and cleared away their plates. They dashed out of the room to go grab Storm Runner's bag, Storm Runner getting there first and slinging the book bag over her neck and shoulder before Thunder could grab it and run off. It was a race game they played most weeks – Storm herself would usually win due to being extremely talented at being fast – both on the ground and in the air. The two tan paint stallions – one a unicorn, the other a Pegasus, followed the little ponies into the hall. They'd both grown so fast since that fateful escape from the Citadel – Storm Runner herself was now 16 and Thunder was 19. While Storm Runner would be at school, Thunder would be in training under his elder brother Sparrowhawk. Swiftwind was very strict about that – he'd made sure that the two little ponies would learn as much as they could, and then when they became too bored – which was quickly in the case of Storm Runner as she preferred to play and run, he'd even join in with the games. The tan paint unicorn smiled to himself as he watched the two younger ponies exchanged jokes, before shooing Storm Runner out the door.

"Go on, you'll be late to meet Sunstar and Moonstar!" He smiled. Storm Runner poked her tongue out of him – such a playful little pony – and trotted out of the cottage smirking. "Thunder will you walk with her to meet the girls? Sparrowhawk and I have to talk about something, we'll fill you in later." Thunder nodded, curious but trusting. He followed Storm out of the cottage and the two of them began to walk down the path.

Swiftwind turned to Sparrowhawk, a worried look in his eye which was echoed by his brother. "Something's gone very wrong with the magic. I can keep the spell alive for a while but it's only a matter of time before it breaks." Sparrowhawk nodded, concerned. "I'll make sure to keep a sharp eye out."

Swiftwind looked out after the two little ponies, now halfway down the road, seeing the shapes of Storm Runner's two best friends at the end of the road. "There's no telling how long she'll be safe now."


	3. Chapter 2

Book One, Chapter Two:

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As Swiftwind had predicted before shooing her out of the house, Storm Runner was a bit late to meet her best friends. Sunstar and Moonstar were twins – often called the 'star' twins by those who knew them. Or just the twins. They were already at the end of the road, the sun glinting off Sunstar's pale yellow fur, off her white, yellow and orange hair. She always had a special kind of glow in the daytime when the sun shone. Her sister Moonstar was the same, except instead of in the day, Moonstar had the same effect in the night – the moon would shine off of her pale blue fur and off of her white, ice blue and midnight blue hair. They were as similar yet as different in appearance as they were in personality.

As Thunder and Storm Runner drew closer, Moonstar caught sight of them and waved. "Hey guys!" Her voice was quiet and smooth, compared to her sister's which was more lively, as her tone suggested when Sunstar called out next, grinning.  
"What, you coming to school too Thunder?" The stallion laughed.  
"No Sunstar, just making sure Storm Runner actually gets here instead of getting distracted by something shiny." The younger Pegasus stuck her tongue out at Thunder, who just smirked and watched as the tan and white striped pegasus ran to greet her friends. Thunder called after her; "Hey Storm, I'm going to head back now. You girls have fun at school." Three voices from the three ponies now moving off down the road called back a 'thanks, we will.'  
"Don't sprain your wing falling out of a tree again!" Storm Runner added, laughing. The response to this was just a laugh as Thunder turned and walked down the street towards home.

Since Solace, the small town Storm Runner lived in, was set in the forest – there was only a little distance between everything, yet the trees sometimes made the distance seem longer, and it wasn't set out in the layout of a regular town. Rather, Solace was made up of a collection of different neighbourhoods near to each other and connected by little paths. There were no proper roads – rather, large paths with cobbled stones and grass. For those ponies who lived up in the trees, there were ramps up and boardwalks for the upper sections of Solace. The three little ponies passed under the branches, the shadows and patches of light breaking through gaps between leaves making their flanks look dappled. It was quite a pretty effect really. "So, you going to go on the history class trip, Storm Runner?" Asked Sunstar. Storm Runner nodded.  
"You bet I am – a whole weekend away in the mountains next month, I can't wait!" Moonstar giggled, and said quietly.  
"You're just going so Swiftwind won't see the mischief you're going to get into." At this, Sunstar laughed.  
" No use hiding it from us Storm, we know you too well." She winked, grinning. Storm Runner giggled as well.  
"I should stop telling you my plans, you know too much. I take it you guys are going," she winked at Sunstar, "after all, isn't Seashell going?"  
"That's not the only reason…" Sunstar blushed, she'd had a crush on Seashell for months, but she'd never acted on it.  
"Oh just ask him to the dance already, you know you want to." Moonstar teased as the three girls walked through the school gates.  
"I'll ask him to the dance when Storm Runner gives up mischief!" Sunstar retorted, smirking. That would never happen and all three knew it. They walked through the classroom door, sat at their desks and got out their books. 6 hours of school, and then they'd be free for a week's holiday!

After school, since the twins were in science class and Storm Runner was in geography, the girls met at the school gates. Standing just to the side so as to allow the other ponies through without getting pushed and shoved about, Storm Runner waited for Sunstar and Moonstar to come out of the science department building. The two of them were 10 minutes late in getting out of class, running across the school yard once they caught sight of Storm Runner waiting by the gate.  
"Sorry we're late, Clover thought it would be funny to block one of the taps and turn it on." Sunstar apologised.  
"Don't worry about it, it's not your fault he's so idiotic. How long a detention did he get?"  
"1 hour, and he has to stay behind today to clean it all up." Sunstar replied. Moonstar giggled.  
"Despite the fact that it served him right and made us late, there is one good thing that came out of it."  
"What's that?" Storm Runner looked at Moonstar curiously while Sunstar giggled.  
"Foxglove got drenched!" Storm Runner joined in with the twin's laughing – they'd never liked Foxglove – the self-proclaimed leader of the 'popular' crowd. She always made it a point to sneer at them as they walked by – apparently being happy wasn't 'cool.'  
"I felt sorry for Rosa though, she got soaked too." Moonstar added, and the other two nodded an agreement. Rosa was Foxglove's sister, was a great deal nicer than Foxglove and another of Storm Runner's friends – though she'd been studying hard lately. The three girls started walking out of the school and back down the small path that led to their road.  
"You guys ok to go to the clearing today?" Storm Runner asked, looking at her two best friends.  
"Of course, we'll have to sort out some stuff to do next week since we've got it off school. Let's all ditch our bags at home first though." Sunstar nodded.  
"Sounds like a plan. Meet you two there in half an hour?" Storm Runner smiled, and the twins nodded as they turned down a small path leading off from the road, and Storm Runner kept walking down the road until she came to her home.

The cottage was strangely quiet when she walked through the door. "Hello? Anyone home?" When that heralded no answer, Storm Runner put her bag on its hook and walked through the silent cottage, checking the rooms. No one was in. Strange. That was when she heard a thud in the garden. Storm Runner quickly went to the window in the kitchen and looked out – relieved to see that it was Thunder in the garden and not some random pony come to burgle her home or anything. Thunder was sprawled on the grass and had his earphones in and was obviously listening to music, which explained why she'd gotten no answer when she walked in. Storm walked outside, a bemused expression on her face. Thunder took his earphones out and innocently asked; "what?"  
"What in the name of sanity are you doing?"  
"Uh…I fell asleep in the tree and the branch isn't so wide that I can roll over on it anymore." He grinned sheepishly as Storm Runner burst out laughing.  
"You're so weird. Where are Swiftwind and Sparrowhawk?"  
"Not a clue." Thunder shrugged. "I'd guess that Swiftwind is at the library. Sparrowhawk, he could be anywhere. Why?"  
"Just wanted to let them know I was going to the clearing with the girls. I'll be back before 6." Storm Runner smiled. "You have fun falling out of that tree again."  
"Alright, have fun. Don't be late or I'll eat your dinner." Thunder called after her retreating form as she flapped her wings and rose into the air. Storm laughed.  
"Like I'm ever late. See yah later!"


	4. Chapter 3

Book One, Chapter Three:

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That night;

* * *

_She wasn't sure how she'd ended up on this road. It was the dead of night, with only the stars and the moon to keep her company, a cold wind howling through the treetops and wrapping its icy grasp around the young pegasus. With the soft light of the moon and stars beaming faintly down upon her and the deserted, strange road; Storm Runner looked around, her white markings and wing feathers shining in the faint moonlight. There was absolutely nothing around save for the trees, strange trees that looked as though they would sooner grab a pony with their wicked, twisted branches than shelter one from the cold wind. She shivered, unfolding her wings a little and wrapping them about her flanks. The wind blew more strongly for a moment, snatching a few loose white and tan feathers from her wings. The faint pain as the feathers were pulled from her wings made Storm frown, she'd preened her wings just yesterday so there should have been no loose feathers. Her wings were in prime condition, she took pride in keeping them strong and healthy. As the feathers drifted off on the wind to places unknown, Storm's attention was drawn to something new. An eerie song started to fill the air, danced on the wind, mysterious and slightly spooky. In the distance, Storm's chocolate brown eyes fixed on a sight, a glowing white shape of a pony far away, travelling fast towards her. As it drew closer, Storm's keen gaze made out the shape of a horn on its head and wings upon its back – a winged unicorn? _

_She was sure now that this was a dream, winged unicorns were far and few between in Ponyland, ever since the King had risen to power. They were hunted…that much she knew, but when she'd asked Swiftwind he never spoke, and a pained look entered his eyes as if he knew more than he would tell, as if he knew what happened to the winged unicorns. The strange white winged unicorn drew closer, walked right past Storm Runner without so much as a glance at her. The young pegasus watched silently, confused, and to be honest a little bit amazed – she'd never seen a winged unicorn before. Her fascination turned to shock and sudden fright when the winged unicorn stopped suddenly and turned around, staring her right in the eye. Where the pony should have had eyes with iris and pupil, Storm was startled to find that this pony did not – instead there were two gems, bright green in colour, and glowing so strongly that it almost hurt to look at them. The pony didn't move towards her, didn't make a sound or step, just stared. _

_The atmosphere in the dream world darkened until the road and the trees had gone, and all the remained was Storm Runner and the strange winged unicorn, still staring at her spookily. Storm stepped backwards, only to find that the road had disappeared and it felt like she was floating in the blackness. All of a sudden the white glow of the winged unicorn's body and the green glow of its eyes intensified, expanding out to cover everything around her. Storm Runner closed her eyes and curled up, preparing for a blast of magic._

And then she woke up, shooting upright in bed gasping for breath and eyes wide with fright. It was not a usual dream, nightmare even since it had scared her. The young pegasus, still frightened and shaking from the strangeness of the dream, took a look around her room and a moment to remind herself that she was here, and not in the strange forest with its scary, evil looking trees.

"It's not real, it's not real, it's not real…" She whispered to herself over and over as if repeating a mantra. It took a moment for her to calm herself down to think straight. Storm knew she shouldn't have been so spooked over a dream like that with no obvious threats in it like a demon or a pony-eating spider, so why her reaction was so strong puzzled her. Her wings hurt a little as well – why was that? Oh yes, Storm remembered that in the dream feathers had been snatched from her wings by the wind, and as she stroked her right wing to check she'd not slept on it and that was the reason why they hurt, Storm Runner discovered that some of her feathers were really missing. Puzzled, she checked the left wing, and found it was the same there – there were a few white and tan feathers missing, and none had fallen off in her bed. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, and resolved to ask Sparrowhawk in the morning – he may know why some of her feathers had just suddenly disappeared. Was it an illness? Hoping that she'd not slip back into the strange dream world, Storm Runner collapsed back onto her bed and drew the covers back over herself, relishing the warmth that they gave her. Hopefully all would be clear in the morning.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Stormhold Citadel…**

A navy unicorn stood upon the battlements, the icy cold wind blowing through his steel grey mane and tail, ruffling the purple stripe in his mane. He surveyed the landscape with cold yellow eyes, glaring hatefully down upon the lands below where ponies were sure to be sleeping peacefully. Something approaching in the icy wind drew his attention away from the landscape of Ponyland, something on the wind. He held out his hoof and caught some feathers from the wind, inspecting them with a careful gaze. Tan and white feathers. Feathers themselves were common, pegasi were always shedding the old, dead feathers which were swiftly renewed with new ones. However, these were different. He could sense it. A power coursed through these feathers though they were separate from the pegasus they had come from, a power which could not be removed except with the most dangerous ritual. A ritual which this unicorn knew well; and a power that this unicorn desired.


End file.
